Monday, October 21, 2013

A darkened stage – lights come up on two giant (dare we say
“magnificent”) knockers at Theatre in the Grove’s Halloween extravaganza, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young
Frankenstein. The locale (New Transylvania) and iconic characters (drawn
from the brilliantly written and cast original movie Young Frankenstein) are a natural for an audience seeking live
theater in the spooky season.

For those readers not familiar with the classic monster
movie genre, a little background is in order. From 1930 to 1946, Universal
Pictures released a series of movies that came to define the American public’s
view of monsters – Frankenstein, Bride of
Frankenstein, The Wolfman, The Mummy, Dracula, and many more. In 1974, Mel
Brooks and Gene Wilder co-authored Young
Frankenstein, a loving parody of pretty much every black and white monster
movie Universal Pictures ever made. The film starred Gene Wilder, Madeline
Kahn, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Kenneth Mars –
truly, a galaxy of the finest film comedians – leaving many big shoes to fill.
In 2004, Mel Brooks (notably, without Gene Wilder) turned the movie into a Big
Broadway Musical, chock full of huge production numbers, derivative songs, and
(happily) lots of the best shtick from the movie.

The TITG production, while ragged in some of the large
ensemble numbers, does a generally magnificent job of filling many of the
“biggest shoes” from the movie cast. Stevo Clay, in particular, positively
channels Gene Wilder’s portrayal of Victor Frankenstein, without sacrificing
the small touches that make the part his own. He slips smoothly from the
supercilious nerd professor (Dr. “Fronkensteen”) to a hysterical pudding of a
man, and ultimately to the confident and triumphant Dr. Frankenstein, and loses
none of the comic genius of the original movie role. Jodi Coffman also draws
heavily on Madeline Kahn’s portrayal of Victor’s fiancée, Elizabeth Benning.
Her “don’t touch me” attitude is conveyed quite effectively, and does not
require the “Please Don’t Touch Me” production number to express her character.
Coffman particularly sparkles in the love scene with the monster, Ron Hansen,
and the song “Deep Love” is one of the few musical numbers that really adds
anything to the production.

Ron Hansen gives the surprise standout performance of the
evening. Once the monster becomes somewhat sentient, his expressive eyes and
mouth seem to take on a life of their own, the intelligence and humor belying
the rotting green flesh of his face. Carly Wasserstein, as the sexy lab
assistant Inga, is playfully seductive and yodels like a pro (who DOES that?).
She also maintains her German accent with greater precision than any of the
other characters, cementing a lovely performance.

The multi-talented Centers clan (Zachary as Igor, Pruella as
Frau Blucher) contribute many of the evening’s funniest moments; they are the bearers
of two of the show’s most beloved running gags (“What Hump?” and the recurrent
neighing of the horses whenever they hear the words “Frau Blucher”). As with
the earlier “Please Don’t Touch Me,” the production number “He Vas My
Boyfriend” is unnecessary – the original line is funniest when first uttered by
Frau Blucher, and should have been allowed to stand alone.

The set is somewhat Spartan at first, but the laboratory
scenes are a real highlight – lots of ‘30s style high-tech equipment with
flashing lights and a perfectly weighted rising platform that nicely reproduces
both the Universal sets and the Young
Frankenstein parody. It would have been nice to have had the hut scene with the Hermit centered on the stage so that the
entire audience could fully appreciate the delicate dance with hot soup.

While by no means a perfect show, TITG’s Young Frankenstein is a great way to
spend a pre-Halloween evening laughing with fellow monster fans. Because of
mature themes and language, it is not appropriate for younger children.

The New Mel Brooks
Musical Young Frankenstein runs through November 3 at Theatre in the Grove,
2028 Pacific Avenue, Forest Grove. Performance are at 7:30 pm October 25, 26,
31 and November 1, 2; 2:30 matinees are offered October 20 and 27.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Bag and Baggage Theatre artistic director Scott Palmer can
never be accused of taking the easy road, as he clearly demonstrates in his
ambitious production of The Great Gatsby
(adapted by Simon Levy from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel). The production
itself is beautiful, and the acting generally superb. However, the necessarily
condensed format of live theater does not allow for a complete exploration of
the story’s characters and themes; the show may appeal most to an audience
already familiar with (and fond of) the novel.

In order to cram the meat of Gatsby into two acts, Levy tells a somewhat expository, disjointed,
and episodic tale. Much of it is related by young Midwesterner Nick Carroway,
off to make his fortune in post-WWI New York, who falls in with an
extraordinarily vapid crowd of obscenely monied wastrels on Long Island. Nick
reunites his alluring but morally vacant cousin, Daisy Buchanan, with the
mysterious Jay Gatsby (nee Jimmy Gatz), her pre-war Great Love who was thrown
over for the incredibly wealthy Tom Buchanan. While Tom makes little effort to
hide his own serial infidelity, he is less understanding when it comes to
Daisy’s transgressions. Ultimately, everyone suffers – Tom’s latest lover
Myrtle killed in a hit and run accident by Daisy, Gatsby shot to death by
Myrtle’s jealous if misinformed husband George, a disillusioned Nick who flees
back to the relatively moral high ground of the Midwest – everyone, that is,
except Daisy and Tom, who (in Fitzgerald’s words) “let other people clean up
the mess they had made.”

The Great Gatsby-Cassie Greer as Daisy-Colin Wood as Tom-courtesy Casey Campbell Photography

Perhaps the trickiest role is that of Nick Carraway (Ian
Armstrong) because it is neither black nor white – neither victim nor
oppressor, neither rich nor poor.Armstrong manages to convey Carraway’s ambiguous relationship to his
cousin and her crew – simultaneously attracted, puzzled, and repelled by the
lives they lead; eager to be accepted and yet hesitant, and ultimately
unwilling, to buy in to their decadence.

And then there’s Gatsby (Ty Boice). Boice clearly expresses
Gatsby’s superficial charm and the hollowness of the Golden Boy character
Gatsby has invented for himself. However, he misses the mark a little by
underplaying Gatsby’s other side – the real Jimmy Gatz that he occasionally
reveals to Nick - the wartime buddy and regular guy. This may be as much a
function of the script as the actor.

Ironically, the only unambiguously innocent character is
murderer George Wilson (Adam Syron). Syron does a fine
job of portraying a baffled working-class victim of his wife’s infidelity and
Buchanan’s coldly mocking false promises. Despite the character’s obsequious
and sometimes desperate sniveling, Syron earns the audience’s sympathy and (by
killing Gatsby) respect for standing up for himself.

Costume designer Melissa Heller has created beautiful,
period-appropriate costumes that capture the tawdry glitz of the early ‘20s.
The minimalist set sketches the opulence of the setting, and the dock built out
into the audience is a clever touch that nicely supports the illusion of unseen
bay-front mansions.

The Great Gatsby runs
through Sunday, October 20th with shows Thursday, Friday, and
Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday matinees at 2:00. All performances are at the
VenetianTheatre, 253 E. Main Street, Hillsboro.